976 Chapter 976 — Disregard
After some minutes, Shang arrived at the place where his Isolation Barrier had been just an hour ago.
Naturally, Gregorio was already waiting there.
When he saw Shang, he felt a mixture of relief and worry.
Shang was still alive, which was a good thing, but the new color of Shang's clothing also worried him.
"Shang, what happened?" Gregorio asked.
"A couple of things, Gregorio," Shang answered.
Gregorio was surprised when Shang called him by his name.
Shang had never referred to him with his name!
'Just as expected,' Gregorio thought, 'something inside of him has changed. I only hope the Shang I know is still there.'
"Can you explain?" Gregorio asked.
"The level six Concept of Entropy, Entropy itself," Shang said. "It can only be realized by becoming an Abomination."
Gregorio took a deep breath.
"Or, at least, creating a mind with 70% Entropy and 30% Mana," Shang said. "If I had an Abomination's mind, I wouldn't be talking to you. Instead, I would be running around, absorbing Mana, and exploding."
Gregorio nodded. That was true.
"I comprehended the Concept, created a new soul, and remade my body."
"I am now free of pain, Gregorio."
"I am free of suffering."
"I am free of longevity concerns."
"And, I am free of the weakness of a human body."
Gregorio didn't like what he was hearing at all.
SHING!
Gregorio's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw Shang suddenly sprouting new arms and legs.
The cloth had transformed into a suit, and Gregorio could see Shang's bulky arms, terrifying claws, and agile legs.
Especially Shang's legs made him seem like anything but human.
They just felt so... wrong!
Shang pulled the red hood off his head, and the bandage parted ways, showing his black eyes.
When Gregorio looked into these eyes, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
Back when Shang had appeared in the Lightning Manor for the first time, Gregorio had analyzed his mind with a very advanced Spell.
Back then, Gregorio had said that Shangwas shrouded in darkness but that there was an emotional core hidden deep within his being.
Gregorio had been unsure about how to proceed with Shang. He had also said that he would look into someone's eyes in these kinds of situations.
Sadly, Shang didn't have any eyes back then.
But now, when Gregorio looked into Shang's eyes, he finally got the clarity he had wanted back then.
That emotional core might have been present back then.
But not anymore.
These black eyes spoke of nothing but unending greed and hunger for power.
No matter what was needed, Shang would sacrifice everything for power.
He would sacrifice his friends, his family, the world, his body, his soul, everything!
And after regaining everything, Shang could finally sacrifice everything again for more power!
At this moment, Gregorio's mind was going wild.
He considered whether or not he should have killed Shang back then.
If these were normal times, the answer would be a definite yes, but if they were, Gregorio would have killed him anyway.
The reason why Gregorio hadn't killed him back then had been King Sanctified Death, and that reason still held true to this day.
Without Shang, King Sanctified Death might have already killed an Emperor.
Or, maybe, he and Kali had long planned to sacrifice Adam to him.
Abaddon had no feelings of belonging or love inside of him. He wouldn't have any issues killing his father for his gain.
Kali was also emotionless, and she had wrestled her entire life with her desire to see Adam die.
And Adam was more than willing to sacrifice himself for his family.
It was very possible that Abaddon might have already killed several Emperors, in which case Gregorio would have freed the Archivist, who would have most likely killed Abaddon.
...And maybe every other Emperor as well for keeping him locked up for so long. Gregorio would already be dead.
But right now, Gregorio was still alive.
Thanks to Shang.
Even more, while Gregorio could feel nothing but greed and hunger for power in Shang's eyes, this might not actually be such a bad thing.
A beast that was greedy for power would leave the small forest after becoming too big.
Meanwhile, someone like Abaddon might never leave the forest after becoming the biggest beast.
Shang only had power in his mind.
Not revenge.
Not status.
Not rulership.
Not control.
Not domination.
He only wanted power.
And when there was no more power to be found in Aterium, he would leave.
Lastly, there was a difference between stupid greed and smart greed.
Using a tool and then destroying it after it was no longer useful was stupid since, in this case, all the other tools would see what happened, and they wouldn't want to get such an owner.
The Temple of Blood was a great example.
Shang had been their tool to gain a lot of money, but instead of getting rid of him, they just parted ways amicably.
If, for some reason, the Temple of Blood needed Shang for something again, they could have contacted him, and he would have also agreed for fitting compensation.
Shang was not stupid.
He wouldn't wantonly kill everyone that knew him or destroy Aterium before leaving.
Maybe someday, Aterium would prove to be useful again?
At least, that was Gregorio's evaluation of Shang's personality.
"Shang," Gregorio said after a while, "what do you feel for Aterium?"
Shang raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "Aterium?" he repeated with a bit of an apprehensive voice.
Gregorio was surprised by the life in Shang's words and expression.
For the entire time Gregorio had known Shang, Shang had talked like an emotionless robot.
But now, there were actual emotions in his voice and expression.
And the emotions were disregard, disgust, and apathy.
Gregorio wasn't quite sure how he should feel about this.
"I don't care about Aterium," Shang said. "Whether everyone lives or dies is irrelevant to me."
"Aterium has nothing to do with me."
Gregorio took a deep breath.
"And me?" he asked.
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